Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 71911 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71911 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
My husband was a killer.
Even if he only killed bad men, it made me sick sometimes.
He came home just before dinner, wearing the same outfit as when he’d left, his jeans, boots, and his olive-green coat. He hung it up on the coatrack then stepped into the kitchen. “Something smells good.” He greeted me with a warm smile and a twinkle in his eyes, like he was happy to see me.
I moved around the kitchen island and greeted him with a hug and a kiss. “It smells good because it’s your favorite.”
“Thank you, Astrid.”
We opened some wine and ate at the table together.
“What’d you do the last couple of days?”
I immediately thought of Theo, that sexy man with dark eyes who was moved by the most disturbing artwork I’d ever seen. The man who’d changed my tire in the rain. The man I never thought I’d see again…but seemed to see everywhere. “I got a new client at the gallery. Needs artwork for his study, so he came by to see what we have to offer.”
“Did he buy anything?”
“He bought five paintings—expensive ones.”
“That’s a nice commission for you.”
“Yeah.” I hadn’t delivered his paintings yet. Been purposely dragging my feet on it. “He didn’t like anything in the main galleries, so I took him to the basement to see all the artwork that…that doesn’t really belong anywhere. Those were the ones he liked.”
“You’re talking about the demented ones?” he asked before he took a bite.
“Yeah.”
“Sounds like a weird guy.”
He didn’t seem weird to me. Just…a little lost. I almost mentioned the ring he wore, but I kept it to myself—for a second time. I thought I knew exactly who Theo was, but I didn’t want my husband to know that. The criminal underworld was a small place, but I’d somehow crossed paths with a man who was talked about like a myth rather than a person. “How was your trip?”
“It was fine.” He didn’t tell me where he’d been. Hadn’t texted me while he was gone. I didn’t know whether he’d left the country or if he’d been right down the street. “I’ll be home for a while. My contract list is empty at the moment.”
“That’s good.” It was rare for him to be around for an extended period of time. He would work in his office during the day and meet with other members of the Brotherhood at their headquarters underneath one of the oldest restaurants in the city. He took me there sometimes, but I was always bored sitting there listening to stories with people I didn’t know, so he didn’t really take me anymore.
He finished his plate then took another drink of his white wine. “There’s something I want to talk to you about.”
“Alright.” His tone didn’t sound foreboding, so it didn’t seem like bad news. Maybe he wanted to discuss giving the villa a new coat of paint or plan our next vacation.
He stared at me for a while, his elbows on the table. “I want you to keep an open mind to this. Don’t react emotionally.”
Maybe he didn’t want to talk about paint colors or vacation spots. “Okay…”
He took another drink of his wine and finished it off. “I want to suggest an open marriage.” He held my gaze as he said it, like he was asking me to take a few weeks off work so we could swim in the Aegean Sea, not asking me to welcome other people into our bed.
“I’m sorry…what?”
“I told you not to react emotionally—”
“I’m not reacting emotionally. I just don’t understand what you said.”
He gave a quiet sigh.
“An open marriage? As in, you want to fuck other people.”
“That’s not how I would put it.”
“Then how would you put it, Bolton?” I snapped. “Because it sounds like my husband wants to fuck someone else besides me.”
“That’s also not how I would put it.”
“Then how would you put it?”
He stilled at my wrath and gave another sigh. “I think monogamy is a bit outdated. I’m on the road a lot, and I’m not home—”
“But that’s your choice. We have enough money for you to retire. You’re the one choosing to do these things. You could stay home and fuck me every night if that’s what you wanted to do—but you clearly don’t.”
He raised his hand slightly to calm me. “We’re just apart a great deal, and I don’t see the problem in us seeking a physical connection with someone else during these lonely times.”
“Then take me with you.”
“Astrid, you know I can’t do that.”
“We’ve only been married two years, and you want to sleep with other people?”
He closed his eyes briefly like my reaction was annoying. “Forget I said anything.”
“You’re just going to fuck someone anyway.”
“Astrid, I wouldn’t have even brought this up to you if that were my intention. I would just be cheating on you every time I was gone. I haven’t done that. I only thought having our own private lives would be beneficial for us both.”